STALKER 2 proves that historical Sci-Fi has a place in games

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The Sci-Fi genre can trace its roots all the way back to 1818, with the release of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In fact, Sci-Fi has been around for so long that it has spawned a plethora of subgenres. One such subgenre is Historical Sci-Fi, which sees Sci-Fi themes and stories against the backdrop of real historical events, or a specific period in history. Back to the Future 3, 11.22.63, Changeand superhero movies like Captain America and Wonder Woman are all examples of historical Sci-Fi. A key feature of historical Sci-Fi is that they often explore an alternate universe where the real timeline has diverged for a specific reason. STALKER 2 have such an attitude.




A sequel that has been in the works for over a decade, STALKER 2 follows on the history of its predecessors quite directly. As such, STALKER 2 has pretty much the same historical Sci-Fi setting as the previous entries, and it shows how beneficial these types of settings can be to a modern open-world Sci-Fi game.

STALKER 2 Fallout Skyrim

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STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl's open world is hauntingly beautiful, and it gives a popular Bethesda RPG feature good value for money.

STALKER 2 shows the benefits of having a historical sci-fi setting

STALKER 2's historical sci-fi setting explained

As the name suggests, STALKER 2: Heart of ChornobylThe setting revolves around the 1986 Chornobyl disaster, where one of the nuclear power plant's reactors broke down and exploded. This real event is used as a basis for STALKERs Sci-Fi world, as in STALKERs timeline, this failure at Chornobyl was due to Soviet experiments in the Noosphere, an invisible field that surrounds the Earth and contains all human emotions and thoughts.


While much of STALKERs timeline follows a similar path to real history, alternate events are scattered throughout. For example, while the collapse of the Soviet Union still occurred in 1991, it did little to stop the Soviet scientists still in the Chornobyl exclusion zone from continuing their experiments, eventually resulting in a second major Chornobyl disaster in 2006.

From there, STALKERs alternate universe begins to take full shape. The second Chornobyl disaster caused a huge increase in the size of the zone, caused extreme mutations in the animals, plants and people still living there, and resulted in the emergence of local anomalies that defied the laws of physics. Some scavengers hear tales of treasure that lies within the zone, and any individual who goes in search of it is called a “Stalker”.


Why STALKER 2's historical sci-fi setting is a blessing

A setting is one of the most important aspects of a video game, and it is directly responsible for establishing a game's tone, themes, story, and characters. There have been plenty of excellent original video game settings over the years, especially in the Sci-Fi genre, but it can take quite a while to properly establish an original Sci-Fi universe in a video game.

Good Sci-Fi games try to immerse players in their setting right away, often giving players a quick rundown of the universe's history and key characters before plunging into the game's main story, so they have a clear understanding of the setting's stakes. and rules. But the best Sci-Fi games are the ones that don't need to waste time creating a dense universe full of complex lore via an opening monologue at all.

STALKER 2s history-based Sci-Fi setting allows for just that. Although it occurred nearly 40 years ago, many people have a general understanding of the 1986 Chornobyl disaster, and those who don't can pick it up fairly easily from context clues. The historical background immediately sets the tone for STALKERs Sci-Fi world and gives players a good understanding of what to expect long before they press start on the main menu.


STALKER 2The historical Sci-Fi setting also enhances the immersive sim element of the survival game, as it adds a strong layer of realism to the experience from the start.

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